


Orange Orangatangs

by RileyChaser



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:00:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RileyChaser/pseuds/RileyChaser
Summary: The best part of the day is jumping on a board and cruising down the street, wind in your hair, the sun on your skin. Longboarding is life. At least for Tobin and her group of Portland Skate Punks. Then there is a rock, and a crash, and some strawberries are smashed, and there is a girl, a beautiful girl. Will Tobin have to re-think her free spirited lifestyle, or will Christen fit right in?
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 26
Kudos: 149





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was finally shining. Gone were the days with the clouds hanging low in the sky; the April showers bring May flowers. Here were the days of fun in the sun. Sleeveless shirts and shorts tanning tone legs as everyone woke up from their hibernation and walked outside, hiding their eyes for just a second as they got used to that bright orb in the sky finally having a clear path to the world. It was summer, and that meant it was time for fun.

Tobin had spent the fall, winter, and most of the spring sitting on her couch, looking out the window, wishing she could leave, even if it was just one day. Her board was sitting by the door. She kept it in working condition all year. She changed the bushings out for harder cones. Then bought high-performance bearings and spaces. The thing she was most excited about was the brand new pair of Orangatang wheels. These things were wild, and she couldn't wait to rip down the street.

There were a few days when she saw the sun try to poke its head out, only to be shut down and shut out by the gloomy clouds. What was the point in living in Portland with its parks, and curving roads, if you couldn't take off on your longboard and feel the wind in your hair, the sun on your cheeks? It was so stupid. Being inside as stupid.

If there was one thing Tobin hated, it was sitting around the house. The only thing she ever wanted to do was cruise down the streets, leaning back and forth, taking curves and turns like a pro. Longboarding was a way of life, and right now, it wasn't much of a life. But the sun was out.

Stepping into a pair of dark blue tapered jeans, the ones with the holes in the knees, from that time she completely ate it in front of those hot girls, Tobin continued to rummage through her room looking for her favorite shirt. It was the first board day of the year; she couldn't go out in just anything, no, it had to be her lucky shirt. She threw clothes in the air, not caring where they landed, that as the beauty of living alone, you could trash your room, and the only person that could get upset was you.

Finally, after pulling all the clothes from her top two drawers, her eyes got wide as she set them on the orange t-shirt. Holding it up, she laughed at the cartoon sushi fighting a taco before ripping off her old shirt and pulling her lucky one over her head. She looked in the mirror, smiling at the shirt another time. It would never stop being funny. Just then, her phone buzzed on top of her desk. She raced to the device, clicking it on and reading the message from the group.

 **Kelley:** Tony’s in 15.

 **Tobin:** Omw.

"Yes!" she did a quick fist pump before looking around her official monstrosity of a room to find her flannel. After a quick minute of searching, she found the over-sized black and white checkered over-shirt and put it on.

She ran out of the room, not paying attention to the things she should have been doing in her apartment. All the gear she had strewn about the room: her little one-bedroom had seen better days, but she spent most of the cold days fixing and tuning other people's boards. When the winter was around, no one really went to the board shop where she worked, so she built, painted, and tuned custom boards for people all over the world. 

It started off as a way to keep her from having to get a 'real job' then quickly turned into something she could support herself on, but she still loved the board shop and had no plans to quit. She considered herself one of the lucky ones, she could spend most of her time thinking about the thing she loved, longboarding. Plus, she made prize money at a lot of competitions, and that put her in a comfortable lifestyle. Who could ask for more?

She pulled on her dirty old black and white checkered skate-hi vans, tying the now light brown (used to be white) laces tight, and pressing her toes down in the indent marks. She had a brand-new pair sitting on the table in her kitchen, but she wasn't skating for a show, so her comfortable, already worn-in vans would be more than adequate. Breaking in a new pair of shoes took work, and even though the bottom of the left shoe was showing the classic signs of a brake shoe, it didn't matter. She had plenty more rides in these old kicks before she had to put on a new pair.

Quickly, she slapped a light blue snap back on her head, not caring to brush her hair, then put her phone and wallet in the deep pockets of her pants and headed for the door. Her board was there waiting on her. She picked it up by the bright green Paris Trucks, gave the orange wheels a quick spin, then headed out the house, locking the door and pushing her keys in her back pocket, hooking the lanyard on her belt loop (there's been plenty of times when she's lost her keys skating, no more chances.)

The air outside was so crisp, it was a wonder the world was ever dark and grey. Portland, or just outside, was a melancholy place most of the year, but on the days when the summer finally rolled around, it was a dream place. Stepping outside the apartment building, Tobin gave her wheels one last spin, listening to the Yellow Jacket bearings, and knowing they were just going to glide when she road, she closed her eyes and imagined herself moving down the street. After a few seconds, she remembered that she didn't need to imagine anymore, she could just ride.

Your first trip on a longboard is like magic. Well, maybe not your first trip, because of the whole falling on your ass a bunch of times, but the first time you are confident on the board, it's like being in connection with an active miracle. There's nothing like it.

Over the years, Tobin gave roller blades a chance, but she didn't like the fact that her feet could just drift apart. Then she gave BMX a shot, but it was just so much work; you could just hook your bike on your back and walk into a burger joint; you had to find a place to chain the thing up. Then she rode a regular skateboard, but it just didn't feel right. It was too high and didn't turn as easily. Soon she figured out that the only thing she would truly love was the longboard.

It was like surfing on the sidewalk, gliding on the streets, it was pure joy on wheels. When you tuned your board in exactly to how you rode, when you became one with your board, everything just lined up and nothing could stop you. She rode a 40in double drop bamboo board. Her own design on the bottom, the tree of life in a rainbow of colors, and clear grip tape on the top so you could see the pattern in the bamboo. This was her cruiser, her favorite board, effortless to ride. It was totally different from her competition board, but that was a completely different style.

She liked to cruise down the street, no headphones, just the noise of the little suburb echoing in the air. She could hear the kids playing outside, dogs barking, people laughing, the sound of a happy summer beginning. And now, she was headed to her favorite pizza place to meet up with her friends, grab a slice and take the first ride of the year.

It took about ten minutes to get to the pizza shop. Too short for Tobin's liking, she wanted to still be on her board, but she stopped with her worn shoe and reached down to pick up her board. That was the one thing that she wished she could change, she wished she could pop the board up and in her hands, but the type and style made that almost impossible.

Tony's Pizza was a little run down, a hole in the wall that on X-people like to hang out at. Tobin was as _X_ as it came, a semiprofessional longboard rider with a great job at a great shop. She was friends with most of the grunge people that ate cheap, greasy pizza in the tiny grey building. It didn't matter if they liked a different style or if they were into a different sport; the X-treme people of Portland stuck together.

"Yo, Toby, over here," a voice called out.

Tobin turned around to see her friends all standing in by a beat-up old Ford Ranger, the group truck. There had been many nights spent in the back, a little tipsy, and hoping her best friend would get everyone home in one piece.

"Did you get me a slice?" Tobin asked, making her way over to her friends.

Kelley pushed a paper plate with a piece of pizza, the grease already soaking through the bottom. "Pepperoni and mushrooms, just like you like it."

Tobin picked up the plated and bit into the slice, the cheese stretching out long and breaking, hitting her in the chin, "Thanks, buddy." She smiled a cheesy smile, then turned to the rest of the group. "Summer's finally here."

"Hell yeah," Emily cheered, her mouth full of food. "Finally."

Lindsay shook her head at the youngest member of their little group. "I was going a little insane," she added in, then looked down at Tobin's board leaning against the truck. "Dude! New wheels?"

"Yeah," Tobin set her plate down, chewing the food in her mouth. "Finally, splurged and got the Oragatang Caguama's, cool, huh?"

"Dope, bro," Lindsay picked the board up and spun the hew wheels, that were now a little dirty from the ride over. "You gotta let me ride today."

"Sure thing," Tobin chuckled, picking up her pizza and taking a huge bite, "Right after I break them in."

"Fair enough," the blonde laughed with her. "I'm still on the Sharks."

Kelley chimed in, "I keep telling you to switch Butterballs; they are a smoother ride."

Lindsay shrugged, "I like it rough."

The group all chuckled at the comment and went back to scarfing down their pizza, talking about the minor changes they each made to their boards. Tobin was excited to be outside talking boarding with her friends. They all got together all year long to eat and drink and try to find girls, but there was something different about being outdoors. Here the talk wasn't just words, not just ideas they were anxious to put into practice. Out here, if you said you wanted to try a different set of wheels or lower the rating on your bushings, you could ride to the store, purchase what you wanted and be on the road in the amount of time it took to turn a few wrenches.

During the winter, they spent so much time fantasizing over what they could do; that's how Tobin came up with her new set up. It was awesome having friends as passionate as she was; they gave her great ideas, helped when she was over her head in orders and cheered her on during competitions. If it wasn't for them, she would be a lonely skater rolling up and down the streets, but she had a group, a posse, people she could count on.

"So where to?" Kelley asked after shooting her balled up paper plate into the garbage can. "Heard the parks still pretty clear right now."

Everyone looked over to Tobin (they always did), seeing what she thought. Tobin was the only one in the group making money from riding and that kind of made her the de facto leader of the little assemble.

With a quick shrug and pushing the rest of her pizza into her mouth, Tobin answered, "Yeah, parks cool."

Overly excited and scrambling, the group all piled in the tiny pickup truck. Tobin sat in the back with Emily and Lindsay, and Kelley complained about being in the cab alone. If it was up to Tobin, they would have skated there; the park was only a few miles down the street, but the truck was there, so why not use it. Besides leaving your vehicle unattended with a bunch of skaters around, you'd come back to dents in the side panels from it being used as a stop, and maybe even some plywood laid over a side, making it a ramp. Tobin knew this because the little Ranger had plenty of dents the size of her helmet from when she was learning new tricks. Besides, it was cool, riding in the back, with the wind blowing, making it almost impossible to hear the music playing. It was just nice being with her friends.

She took off her helmet and placed in on the rhino lined truck bed. Her trusty helmet was white with a phoenix painted on the back. It wasn't truly her style, but her sister had it custom made for her whenever Tobin made the choice to move to Portland, so it was her favorite helmet. She had replaced the straps and padding a few times, but it still worked like a dream.

It wasn't long before the truck was pulling into the parking lot that led to the local park. It was one of the best places to skate; the bike paths were smooth and shaded in most areas. A real skater could spend all day with their friends, pulling tricks and laughing, and that was Tobin's plan. She quickly slapped her helmet on her head and hopped over the edge of the truck, rolling her board out in front of her, then running to jump on it and start a cruise down the path.

"Wait up," Emily shouted after her, throwing her pintail cruiser on the path and rolling after Tobin.

Looking back, Tobin saw the young kid coming full speed after her. Emily was eighteen and wondered into the board shop about a year ago. She looked around at all the selections for a while before Tobin finally approached her and asked what she was looking for. After an hour of talking back and forth, they settled on the 40in beach cruiser. After a few days, she came in for new wheels, looking for a softer ride. Then the next day, it was new bearings. Soon Tobin figured out the young kid was mostly coming in to talk to her and Lindsay, so the older, wiser skater asked her if she wanted to go cruising with them that weekend. Ever since, Emily has been following Tobin, matching her style, learning to sidewalk surf from who she considered the master.

That was the beauty of their group, they all wanted to skate most days and chill all the others. Four years ago, when Tobin drove the long stretch from Medford and decided Portland would be her home, she was lucky enough to find friends fast. Lindsay worked in the board shop, and it was clear they were meant to be friends, and Kelley was the wild child that worked at the print shop next to the shop. She actually printed Tobin's favorite shirt. A few tacos and more than a few Corona's later, and they were officially the best of friends. The two crazy girls were the entire reason Tobin entered into competitions, the whole reason she believed in herself.

The park was amazing at the start of the summer. The paths were clear of bikers in the afternoon; most bikers got their rides in the morning, leaving the dark grey path for skaters to rip up until the late hours. The bright patches of grass had some people sitting around on blankets, having picnics, or reading in the shade. Dogs were barking at the mini dog park, and kids were running around the playground, some of them stopping to watch the cruisers as they whizzed by. That was one of the coolest parts about boarding, watching a little kid's eyes light up with joy, knowing you just sparked a curiosity that could land them on the path to being a skate punk.

To Tobin, the best thing someone could strive to be was a free spirit, and that's the life longboarding gave you. If you had a clear path and a board, you could go anywhere, even if you just did laps around the same park, it felt like you were somewhere else. And if you had your friends, you had the world.

"Way to wait," Kelley shouted as she caught up with her friend. "Couldn't pause for two seconds to let me get my board out?"

"Nope," Tobin grinned. "I've been waiting too long."

"Fair enough," Kelley smiled. She gave a quick shaka with her hand the crouched down on her board, "Catch me if you can."

The chase was on. Almost every time they came out on the path, Kelley started a race with Tobin. It was a small competition between them. The park path they were on had a slight downhill, enough for you to be able to glide down without pushing, with enough wind and the right position, you could get going decently fast. Kelley was on her drop-through free rider, one Tobin had a lot of say in building, it wasn't built for speed necessary, but it was fast. Still, it had nothing on Tobin's board, not with the new ceramic bearings, freshly oiled, and of course, a speed rider on the deck.

Catching up, Tobin flashed her own shaka as she passed her friend, cracking up. This is what she had been waiting for all year. In her mind, she had everything she could ask for, a great job, her own business, great friends, money to live and be happy, there wasn't anything she could ask for.

Well, there was one thing that could make the whole thing that much better. It was something in the back of her mind, nothing she really took seriously or thought about too often, except during the cold winters on her couch watching Netflix and dreaming of being on her board. There was a thing, it was small, at least that's what she made it out to be because if she made it into a big deal, she would go insane. All she wanted, needed, craved, was a…

"Woa, CRAP!! LOOK OUT!!" Tobin shouted as she lost control of her board and flew headfirst into the grass full of park patrons trying to have a chill time.

She heard the small crunch as she rolled over what had to be the biggest pebble, a rock really, something she spotted but wasn't able to swerve in time. New bushings meant a break-in period, a time for them to loosen up a bit and for her to get used to the new spring-back. She should have thought of that before racing Kelley, but she didn't, and now she was flying through the air and landing SPLAT on someone's blanket.

"I'm so sorry," Tobin groan, having landed on her stomach, her board kicking out from under her and gliding gently in the grass. "Are you okay?" she looked up to see a mess of curly brown hair, then the girl looked up with the brightest green eyes she had ever seen. Tobin swallowed hard, trying her best to get to her knees, "I'm really sorry."

"I'm okay," The woman said in a kind voice, dusting a little dirt from her shirt. "Are you okay?"

Tobin sat up the best she could, trying to catch her breath both from landing hard on her stomach and from the amazing woman sitting in front of her. She scrambled to straighten her shirt, "Yeah, um, I'm good. You sure you're okay?"

The woman gave herself another two-second once over and looked up to Tobin with a big smile, "Yeah, you didn't land on me." She looked down at her blanket, "My strawberries, on the other hand…"

"Oh no," Tobin looked down at the container of strawberries now thoroughly smashed. She looked at her shirt, the cartoon taco now covered in berry juice. "Oh yeah, I really got them, huh?"

"I'd say so," she replied with a chuckle, holding the flat container up.

"Man, those were probably first of the season, huh?" she looked over to the woman for confirmation. "Let me get you some more, please, I feel terrible."

With a quick wave and a smile, the woman sweetly rejected her offer, "It's not a big deal."

Tobin stood up, "It's totally a big deal. The first strawberries of the season are a huge deal. There's a stand right on the edge of the park, I can roll down there." She was up before she got a response, grabbing her board. "Back in a flash." She held up her hand in a thumbs-up.

The woman gave her a quick thumbs-up, followed by a laugh. "Okay, see you soon."

Rolling her board on the path, Tobin looked back to her friends who had witnessed the entire exchange, "Kelley, let's roll."

"Where we going?" the cheerful girl asked as she jumped on her board.

Tobin quickly filled her friend in on the plan, and they were off the quarter of a mile down the path to where the fruit cart was usually set outside the park.

She had never been struck like that. There had been times when she landed flat on her face, or ass, or back, but never smack in front of the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Sure she ate major shit, hardcore, but the girl was smiling, laughing even, so maybe she hadn't embarrassed herself too much. Maybe with the strawberries, she had a chance. If she could bring the container of fruit back, she could introduce herself, maybe get the girls number. It all hinged on the fruit cart.

They stopped just outside the park, kicking their boards under the arms and walking the short distance to the cart. There was a small line, it was one of the best fruit stands near the park. The guy who ran it was friendly, and all of his stuff was fresh from local gardens. Tobin had bought several things from the cart in the middle of a long skate session, this was nothing new.

"So you ate grass in front of this girl, and now you're buying her fruit," Kelley unbuckled her helmet strap.

Tobin unhooked her own strap, "Yeah, dude, I crushed her stuff."

"Couldn't you have just given her the cash?"

"Yeah, I could've," Tobin stepped in line behind two people. "But this is better. Trust me, you didn't see you, not close up."

Kelley scoffed, "What is she super hot or something?"

"Kells," Tobin's eyes wide, a smile stretching across her face, "See's gorgeous."

"Fair enough," the girl adjusted her board under her arm. "But how do you know she digs chicks?"

"Her book, she was reading Sarah Waters," Tobin laughed, remembering being asked to read the author by an ex a few years back.

Kelley watched as her friend moved up in line and picked out a small container of the dark red fruit, the seeds popping against the rich color. "So, you're taking chances."

Tobin fished a couple of dollars out of her wallet and handed it to the guy with a quick thank you, then walked back towards the path, "You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take, Kells." She fastened her helmet back under her chin and set her board down on the path, "I gotta shoot with this one, I can just feel it."

"I'm with ya," Kelley chuckled, sliding her freerider on the pavement and kicking off behind her best friend.

It had been a while since she took a shot with a girl. Sure there were nights when she flirted and even got a few numbers, but none of them really panned out. Portland was awesome, full of super cool chicks who liked to live the weird life, but no one really understood Tobin's lifestyle. It was a rare girl that had all the things Tobin was looking for. To her, a girl had have at least these five things: smart, funny, laid back, passionate about something, and the ability to let her ride without getting upset. Her last girlfriend told her that she was more in love with the board than she was with her. Maybe that was true; maybe she did love riding more than spending time in their little apartment. Longboarding was freedom, the apartment always felt so stuffy and confined, but maybe that was the people in it and not so much the space. They broke up, and she moved to Portland and swore she wouldn't date again unless she found a girl that was cool with how much she needed to ride.

The fruit gripped loosely in her hands, she didn't want to crush the biodegradable container; Tobin pushed back up the path. She carved past all the walkers, avoided a dog with ease, and soon was at the edge of the grass, the woman still sitting on her pink blanket laid out on the grass. She looked amazing under the shade of the trees, the sun poking out just enough to keep her warm. Tobin could already picture herself cruising on the path, the girl on her blanket, them giving each other looks as they enjoyed a day in the park, together even though they were separate. But hey, she didn't even know her name yet.

"You need me to go with you? Wingman?" Kelley asked with a cheesy grin.

"Nah, I got this," Tobin unhooked her helmet and tucked her board under her arm. She took a few steps in the grass then turned back, "But, uh, pull me out in 15, unless I give the signal."

Kelley held up a quick shaking shaka, "You got it, bud."

Nervously, she walked forward, stumbling as she tried to balance her board and taking her helmet off while she held onto the fruit. It was a new feeling or at least one she hadn't felt in a long time, anxiety over a girl. It had been years since her heart pounded in her chest, and her hands felt shaky. She had no idea why, the only thing she really knew about this girl was that she was beautiful, cool with being landed on by a skater, and could read. Was that enough for Tobin to be nervous to talk to her again?

"Hey," she approached apprehensively. She let her board fall to the grass and her helmet land on it. "Got you a fresh batch."

"Thank you," the woman responded in the calmest, smoothest, most angelic voice Tobin had ever had the pleasure of hearing. "You really didn't have to do that."

Tobin squatted down, not assuming she was invited to sit on the blanket, "Oh, it's no biggy, it was a short ride."

"You are pretty fast on your skateboard." She smiled.

"It's a longboard," Tobin grinned, placing the container of fruit on the blanket.

The woman peered over at the board in the grass, "What's the difference?"

Tobin shrugged, "It's longer." She watched as the woman cracked a huge smile. "There's a bunch of other stuff too, but that's the basic difference." Then with all the courage she had, she spoke again, "I'm Tobin, by the way."

"Christen," she responded sweetly. "It's nice to officially meet you." She reached over on her blanket and picked up her book. "Do you want to sit for a bit, rest, maybe have a strawberry?"

"Sure," Tobin dusted herself off, not wanting to mess up the nice quilted blanket, then she plopped down. "Is this your first time in the park?"

"Yeah, I just moved here from Seattle, well I moved four months ago," she told her as she untied the thin netting holding the fruit it the little box. "It's the first nice day of the season, so I thought I'd enjoy a little sun."

"I know what you mean. I've been waiting for the sun to come out all year." Tobin smiled widely, "Can't really ride when it's cold or wet, and that seems to be Portland most of the time."

"I would think not, the wind chill would freeze you to the bone," she chuckled.

They both paused for a second, picking up a strawberry and biting into them. Tobin tried to think of something else to say, her mind was blank. All she had been thinking about for a full year was longboarding, and this girl didn't even know what a board was, so that topic was out the window. But she couldn't screw this up, she was sitting next to a gorgeous girl who was sweet enough to ask her to stay after she smashed her original fruit. She needed to think of something.

"So, what made you make the move to Stumptown?"

Christen swallowed her food, "My job, I'm a Historical and Rare Book Restoration Specialist."

With wide eyes, Tobin shook her head like a confused puppy, "Uh, say that again."

She laughed at the silly gesture and the cute confused look, "Historical and Rare Book Restoration Specialist. I take really old books that are in really bad condition and restore them to as close to new as I can. Most of my job is taking Historical books and making them readable, restoring the pages so the text can be read and scanned into archives."

"Holly molly, that's the coolest thing I've ever heard," she grinned wide and let out a light laugh. "I had no idea that was even a job."

"It's a pretty rare one, I guess. Not a lot of people in book restoration, and even less in the historical sector."

"So you're like a prize hen," she laughed. "That's so awesome."

"I guess you could say that, yeah," she laughed at the silly joke. "What do you do?"

Tobin sat up straight, "I work at a board shop, and I make custom longboards, and a little competition work here and there."

Christen's bright green eyes got even brighter, "And you think book restoration is cool. You're a professional skateboarder… longboarder."

"Yeah, but I just ride a board with wheels really well; you're like a smarty pants."

"I bet it takes a lot of smarts to ride that thing and not crash…" she looked down at the strawberries, "Much."

Tobin started to laugh, about to say something smart when she heard her name being shouted from the pathway. She waved her hand to her friend, "Well, that's the signal."

"The signal?" Christen question.

"Yeah, my friends pulling me out, so I don't make a fool out of myself," she rubbed her hand on the back of her neck.

Christen sat up, "Are you making a fool out of yourself."

"I don't know," she chuckled. "Am I?"

She shook her head, a sweet smile coming to her lips, "Definitely not."

"In that case, do you think maybe you want to continue this conversation at a later time, like maybe diner on Friday?" she gave the most hopeful look she could muster. The truth was she was praying in her mind, begging the creator of the universe to have this girl feel the same thing she was feeling.

Thinking for a split second, Christen nodded, "I'd love to."

"Awesome," Tobin dug her phone from her back pocket, unlocking it and bringing up her contacts, "Can I get your number?"

"Of course," she took the phone and quickly typed in her information before handing it back.

Tobin looked down at the screen, "Christen Press." She flashed a huge smile, then stood up, grabbing her board and shoving her phone back in her pocket. "I'll text you later, and we can plan it all out."

"I'm looking forward to it," she looked up and smiled.

With a quick wave and a shaky goodbye, Tobin tried her best to look cool while walking through the grass back to the path. She put her helmet on her head and buckled the strap. The minute she got to the path, she laid her board down on the pavement and pushed off, forcing her friends to scramble to follow her.

"What happened?" Kelley asked as she caught up.

"I got a date," Tobin shrugged, "Nothing to it."


	2. Chapter 2

For two days, Tobin felt like her phone was burning a hole in her pocket. She was hyper-aware of any vibration, the indication that Christen had texted. That was her focus since Wednesday morning when she crash-landed on a blanket in the park, crushing a box of strawberries and meeting the prettiest girl she had ever seen. It took everything she had in her to play it cool, act like she wasn't buzzing with energy, and talk to her in a normal way and actually get her number and a promise of a date. Now she slept with her phone near her bed, after saying good night and dreaming of the good morning.

It had been a while since she felt like this, especially this soon. Even with her ex, the last girl she really loved, she never had this feeling. Every time her phone buzzed, butterflies would flap their little wings in her tummy, and she would have to force herself not to answer too quickly. All she wanted to do was respond, answer questions, and ask some herself.

The "getting to know you" portion of a budding relationship was always the best, but it was made even better by Christen being completely amazing. She was smart and funny in a way that made you really think about what she was saying. She was sophisticated, which was absolutely astounding, particularly to a skate bum like Tobin. It was an experience that made her head spin, and her heart sang with each and every text.

Unlike Tobin, the seemingly all-important girl with the job that sounded like she could have made it up wasn't available all hours of the day. Christen worked at a museum and only texted a few times throughout the day. Because Tobin worked in a board shop with her friends, she was able to text at any time she wanted. The hour-long stretches between answers felt like days. She was anxious to hear back and always had a smile on her face when she finally felt her phone against her leg. Quickly, she would pull it out, read of the message, chuckle to herself, then tuck her phone back in, trying to wait an appropriate amount of time before sending her answer. It was hard, but she had some self-control. It was easy with her friends around to distract her or laugh at the goofy smile on her face.

"You think the board will be broken in enough for the competition?" Lindsay asked, blowing a peanut butter scented vapor cloud out.

Tobin ran her hand through her wavy hair, fitting her hat back on her head, "I don't know. I'm still trying to get a feel for the new bushings. I might have to change that back upper to something lighter."

"Told ya, the yellows are too stiff, dude," Kelley leaned against the textured outside wall.

This is where they spent most of their breaks outside in the middle of the two shops, leaning against the faded blue stucco wall. That was the great thing about their job, Lindsay was in the board shop with Tobin, and Kelley was right next door at the print shop. They usually wandered across the street and down a few shops to the microbrew/burger joint and hung out with Emily on her breaks. The shops wouldn't be too busy for another week when the kids got out of school, and the summer crowd came around, so most of their time was spent shooting the shit and vaping outdoors until someone showed up.

Most customers order online nowadays. Half their days were filling shipping boxes and waiting for the local UPS man to show up and haul them away. Tobin missed the face to face interaction, teaching people about their product, but they were open to the entire world now and made much more money off orders then the people walking in.

"You're right," Tobin admitted, even though she hated telling Kelley she was right, especially when she got the 'I told ya so' look she was currently sporting. "I'll probably change them tonight and test them on my morning ride in."

Kelley reached across the sidewalk to Lindsay, leaning against the truck. She took the purple vape from her hand and took a long hit, her eyes fixated on her phone screen, "Try some purples or something." She held up the vape towards Tobin.

"Nah," she waved her off. "I think I'll do a red bottom, purple top, see how that feels." She answered the suggestion, thinking about how she wanted her new board to ride. "If I can't dial it in, I'll use the old board."

"Thought you hated the trucks," Lindsay said, taking the vape back and taking her own drag.

"I do," but maybe I'll change those out too. I have Calibers in the back office. Someone ordered a board and clicked the wrong trucks, so there's a spare pair I can pick up and slap on."

Kelley blew out her vape cloud, filling the space between them, "Ug, I hate Caliber. Paris or die."

"True," Tobin laughed lightly, "But I don't wanna break apart my board for one downhill."

Before anyone could answer, the distinctive sound of wheels rolling on the sidewalk echoed in the air. The group all looked down to see their youngest friend skating towards the truck, her helmet unstrapped on her head, her work shirt hooked on her finger over her shoulder.

"Sup, dudes?" Emily smiled wide as she hopped off her board, running to stop, then picking up her board. "Let me hit the vape."

Tobin watched as Lindsay willingly handed over the device to the blonde. "Damn, you get off early?"

"Nah," Emily puffed out. "It's 5:15, Toby."

"Shit," Tobin pulled out her phone and looked at the time. "Linds, come on, you were supposed to be keeping track of the time. I'm gonna be so freaking late."

Lindsay chuckled, her eyes a little hazy from the vape, "Sorry, bro."

"Here, just drive home," Kelley fished her keys from her pocket. "Emy can take you to the restaurant after you shower and change and bring the truck back."

"Yeah?" Tobin asked but didn't wait for an answer before running into the store to grab her stuff.

She had a plan this morning. She would leave work early and shower and change into something nice but casual before skating down to the restaurant. When she got into work, she made Lindsay promise to remind her when it was 4:30 so she could get out of the shop, skate the 15mins to her apartment, get ready, then the 20min to the restaurant. But, she should have guessed from the six hits from the vape, Lindsay was in no shape to remind anyone what day it was, let alone that Tobin needed to get out of the shop for her date.

There was no use being upset, after all, Tobin's been a little baked, and a lot relaxed and uncaring about time, and dates, and everything else besides chilling and eating Flammin' Hot Cheetos dipped in cream cheese. That was the nature of the beat in Portland with legal marijuana and skaters living the easy-going lifestyle.

She rushed out of the store, waving bye and yelling a quick thanks to Kelley as she hopped in the truck, her board getting tossed in the bed with Lindsay, who was chilling with her back against the cab. Emily was already behind the wheel, ready to go, when Tobin jumped in and patted the top of the hood, signally they needed to get a move on.

One song later, they were at Tobin's apartment, flying into the parking space and shutting down the engine. The three of them grabbed their boards from the back and flew down the short stretch of pavement that led to the front door of the small apartment building.

"You go shower, we'll pick out some sick threads," Emily directed as they all fell into the front door, hooking their boards on the hangers Tobin had mounted on the wall.

"Yeah?" Tobin asked, practically running to her room. "Something nice, but not crazy nice, we're going to Lee's."

"Dude," Lindsay called out, her voice slowed down, and her body clearly going to the kitchen, "We got you."

While Tobin didn't trust a high Lindsay to dress her, she did trust a one-hit Emily to pick out something decent, so she didn't protest. She stripped off her work clothes and jumped in the bathroom, hopping in the shower before the water got warm.

She didn't have time to wash her hair, dry shampoo would have to do for now. She did, however, have time to shave her legs since there could be a possibility of coming back to her place, or maybe going to Christen's and maybe not sex, but maybe sex. Who knew? Better safe than sorry. Jumping out of the shower, smelling like a firestorm, she quickly dried off, wrapped a towel around her, and slapped some dry shampoo in her hair, hoping to get the smell of peanut butter vape out. Some lotion on her face, eyeliner was a must and some clear lip balm, and she was as done as she could get.

"Dude, what's that smell? It's the best," Lindsay asked, stretched out on Tobin's bed.

"It's my soap, and get your feet off my bed," Tobin answered, slapping the skate shoes from her comforter. "What stuff did you pick out?"

Emily turned around with a smile on her face, then moved out the way so Tobin could see the clothes she set out on the dresser. A solid white heenly, her black jeans with the rips, and her nice light blue jean jacket. Altogether, it was something along the lines of what she would have picked for herself.

"Good choice, Emy," Tobin gave her a high five.

"Hey, I helped," the high one responded.

Tobin rolled her eyes, knowing Lindsay probably only told Emily where to find the nice shirts. "Good job, Linds," she chuckled. "Now both of you get out and let me change."

Slowly Lindsay got up from the bed, "You got any more snacks?"

"No," Tobin said, pushing the girl towards the door, "And don't trash my kitchen."

Over the last two days, she cleaned her entire apartment. Deep cleaning the kitchen, vacuuming her small carpet, and taking a Swiffer to the hardwood. Her dining room table was filled with some boards she was in the middle of building, but the rest of her place looked decent. The minute she got the date, she realized there was a good chance that Christen could want to come over, and she didn't want the place looking like it normally did, so the hours she spent dusting baseboards were well worth it. Girls like clean houses.

Changing quickly, she ran her fingers through her hair, taking out some to of the waves. She spritzed herself with the only cologne she owned and gave herself a quick once over before walking out the room to her friends tearing through the leftover tacos in her fridge.

"You look good," Emily said with a full mouth.

Tobin laughed, "Thanks. I see you guys found the food."

"I'm starving," Lindsay held up half a taco.

Chuckling at her two crazy friends, Tobin searched for the one thing that would complete her outfit. The box was hiding under her dining chair, kicked to the back. Pulling it out, her heart started to beat as she opened the black box.

A brand new pair of all-white skate-hi vans.

"Those are fresh," Lindsay said, poking her head over the counter to peak in the box.

"Brandy-new," Tobin breathed out.

Last year, she made a choice to buy the shoes, but every time she opened the box, she couldn't bring herself to lace them up and wear them out. She skated hard, in dust and dirt, and she knew they would be messed up within the day. In the back of her mind, she knew the shoes were special, and she needed to save them for a special time. A date with Christen seemed like a special enough time for her to lace them up and step into them. They were almost blinding they were so white, but that was good, she was going to look good.

She listened to Emily and Lindsay discuss the difference between salsa and hot sauce and whether mild should be hotter than medium due to the name as she laced up the shoes. There was something about brand new, never touched pavement, shoes. The smell, the feel of the canvas in her hands, gave her chills. Was it strange to be this excited about shoes? Was she excited about shoes or Christen seeing her in them? Everything was a mystery.

After wrestling a high Lindsay away from the fridge, with the promise of fresh tacos the next day, Tobin was finally in out the door and in the truck, Emily steering them through the light traffic to the restaurant. Tobin looked at her phone; Christen had texted while she was in the shower. She was headed out, which meant she would probably already be there. Her legged bounced as they made it down the street, turning the corner.

"Nervous?" Emily asked sweetly.

Tobin looked over at her with a shy smile, "That obvious?"

"Yeah, never seen you this anxious before, not even before a competition."

With a slow nod, she thought about the truthfulness of the statement, "I've never really had a reason to be, ya know. It's like, I know how to skate, but I don't really know how to do this, not with a girl like her." She paused for a second, taking a long breath in and letting it out. "Em, she is so out of my league."

"No one's out of your league, Toby," the young girl answered sweetly. "Just be you, and she'll fall head over heels."

Tobin let out a short laugh, "I hope so."

They parked just outside the stripe of restaurants, just down from where Tobin needed to be. She jumped out of the truck, grabbed her board and helmet from the back, thanking Lindsay as she migrated to the cab of the truck. With a quick wave to her friends, she held her board in her left hand, not wanting to tuck it under her arm because of the white shirt, and headed down the street.

In seconds Tobin could see a figure standing outside, looking down at her phone. She was in a flowy short-sleeved pink shirt, a pair of light blue skinny jeans, and low top grey sneakers. Her hair was braided in a loose braid and hung around her shoulder. All Tobin could think was how remarkably beautiful she was. Just when she thought she lost her breath, Christen looked up and waved; that's when she really couldn't breathe, almost forgetting that that girl was there for her.

"Okay, Toby, you can do this, just don't be a doofus," she whispered to herself. She approached the smiling girl and tried not to look caught in headlights, surprised at how beautiful she was. "Hey, sorry I'm a little late."

"No problem," Christen said sweetly. "I'm usually perpetually early, so it's no big deal."

Tobin gave a sweet smile, "I wonder what being early feels like."

"Did you skate here?" She pointed at the board in her hands. 

Looking down at her longboard, Tobin shook her head, "Nah, I was going to, but then Lindsay got high and didn't remind me of the time, so I rushed home with Emy and Linds and got dressed. They just dropped me off. I was gonna skate home."

"Wow," she giggled, leaning back slightly at the crash story. 

Tobin rubbed the back of her neck, "Yeah, that was a lot."

"No, it wasn't, don't worry, I like knowing things. I'm a true researcher at heart. The details are great." She lowered her head, looking a little embarrassed by the confession. "You're honest, and you don't hold back, that's nice… refreshing."

A huge grin came across her face, "Good, cause sometimes I can't help it."

They shared a quick laugh, then Tobin suggested they go into the restaurant. Lee's Noddle House was one of her favorite spots, a place she felt comfortable and welcomed. She needed that on this date, she was nervous enough, she didn't need the extra pressure of not knowing what to order lingering over her head. Plus, it was dim in the afternoons, filled enough to have over people to look at as a distraction in case she blew it, but empty enough they could have an intimate conversation if she didn't act like a big dummy. 

They entered into the Asian themed place, the smell of spices instantly surrounding them and making Tobin relax. The buzzing she was feeling was starting to wear off now that she was settling into her comfort zone. 

"Tobster, dude," a young guy came up to them, dressed in a white button-up and black pants, "Glad you're here. Please come explain to my naive coworker the benefits of ceramic bearings."

"Normally, I'm down," Tobin answered her friend. "But, I'm here with a girl."

"Oh," the boy's dark blue eyes got wide when he saw Christen peaking from behind the skater. "Then, shall I show you to a table?"

"Thanks, Diggy," Tobin said, following the boy to a table towards the front, where they could look out the window. "I'll bring you some menus." He said with a sly smile.

Tobin smiled nervously at Christen as they sat down, hoping instantly almost getting dragged into a longboard conversation wasn't going to make her look like a loser. She had set her board in the entryway, where she left it every time she came in for noodles. During the day, this was a go-to spot for hungry skaters, big bowls of noodles for a small amount of money was heaven when you were skating all day and only had a few bucks in your pocket. At night, normal Portlanders came around, looking for some authentic Ramen. 

"I take it you've been here before?" Christen asked as she set her small clutch down next to her in the booth. 

"Uh-yeah," she admitted nervously. "I like the noodles, and I wanted to go somewhere chill, but nice." She looked up with a worried look, "Guess I should have asked if you like noddles, huh?"

Christen smiled, "I love noddles. I spent six months in Japan during college."

"No way, bro, that's awesome," she could feel herself relax. "How was that? Kick-ass, I bet."

"Yeah, bro, pretty, kick-ass," she said, sounding as if she had never said that phrase in her life. 

Tobin could feel her cheeks going red. She had to remember she was talking to a real person that read books. All the "dudes" and "bros" had to cool down. She could do this, she didn't have to sound like a dude-bro skate bum all the time, she knew how to be normal.

Christen continued, "I really love to travel, so it was nice to be sent there and not have to spend all my money on a nice place." 

Happily nodding along, Tobin couldn't stop the smile on her face, "I took a trip to Nepal when I graduated high school. My parents helped me out as a gift. I only had two weeks there, but it was amazing… enlightening. I loved it. I want to go back, and a whole bunch of other places."

Before they could say anything else, the brunette boy was pack, lightly places leather menus on the table, and asking if they wanted anything specific to drink. Tobin suggested Tai tea, and Christen agreed with a big smile. They took the time to look through the menu, even though Tobin didn't need to, she knew she wanted the Pad Tai with chicken, but she pretended to look for as long as it took for Christen to find what she wanted. Diggy was on top of things at the table the moment the menus dropped and took their order. True to her story, Christen ordered Ramen, and they were finally left without a distraction as they waited for their meal. 

"So I looked you up," Christen admitted after taking a sip of her tea. 

Tobin almost choked at the sentence, "Really? How?"

"Surprisingly, there aren't many professional longboarders named Tobin in the Portland area."

"Oh, yeah, right," she gave a goofy grin. "What'd you learn?"

Christen sat back against the booth, her eyes narrowing a bit, "You're a downhiller, which I had to look up, and after I did, I was a little afraid for you." She paused as Tobin chuckled. "You're 24, from Medford originally. You have a custom longboard business, and your favorite ice cream is Rocky Road." She shook her head lightly, "You have an Instagram fan page, but not you're own page."

"True, my friends set up the fan page so sponsors can take a look at me," Tobin told her happily. "I'm not a big Social Media person. I go on sometimes to answer some questions, but I don't pay attention too much. I think I only really go online for work and talk to my family."

"So, that means you didn't research me?" She asked, twirling her straw in her drink, mixing the mild and tea together. 

Tobin took a drink to give herself a second to think. "No, I like the old school way, go on a date, talk it out."

Christen's face fell slightly, "Aw, now I feel bad looking you up."

"No, don't," she said quickly and almost too excitedly. "Now we don't have to talk about me, that's great. I kind of suck at talking about myself. I want to get to know you."

"Okay," her eyes lit up a bit, the sadness in her face leaving. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Tobin smiled. "Tell me everything, all the details."

They sank into a natural conversation. Tobin sat listening happily as she learned more about the woman across from her, finding out with each fact that Christen was indeed totally out of her league. She was 26, grew up in Seattle, and went to the University of Washington for her undergrad and Master's in History and Literature and was now working on her Doctorate. She had been all over the world a few times, both for school and for fun, and fell into her current job by accident, but loved it. Her family was still in Washington, and she missed them but was happy to get out of the state and live in a new place even if it wasn't far away. 

"How does someone get into fixing books?" Tobin asked, swirling noodles on her fork.

"I restore books," she replied. 

Tobin looked up with an eyebrow cocked, "What's the difference?"

Christen thought for a second, "It's longer."

Laughing at the joke, she nodded, "Fair enough. How does one restore a book?"

"It really depends on the book, when it was made, and out of what materials," she explained with an excited look on her face. "For instance, I started off with leather bond copies of Beowulf. It was nothing as old as the one in The British Library; these came from around 1600. My teacher brought me on the project as I was going to my certifications. It was a lot of cleaning the pages with a solution that would bring out the text without ruining the pages or the ink." She looked over at Tobin, who was eating happily. "I'm sure it's all really boring stuff to anyone but me."

"No way," Tobin popped up. "I like learning this kind of stuff. I spend most of my time thinking and talking about skating, it's nice to learn something new from someone who knows what they are talking about."

"As long as I'm not boring you."

"Heck no," she gave the biggest smile she could. "Trust me, I dig it, keep talking. What kind of solution do you use?"

Now kind of bouncing with excitement, Christen sat up and started to explain how her job worked, going into detail. Tobin didn't understand some of it and was more than willing to ask questions and get clarification, which would send Christen into a long explanation. It wasn't long before the check came, and Tobin scrambled to pick it up first, insisting that she pay. Then they stood up and were headed for the door. 

With a little bit of courage, before they got to the door, Tobin spoke up, "I kinda don't want this to end."

Christen tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "I'm so glad you said that."

"Yeah?" She smiled, then looked out the window. "There's a pretty rad bar down the street. You wanna get a drink?"

"I'd love to."

Without hesitation, Tobin turned around and called for her friend to watch her board, then directed Christen out of the restaurant and out down the street. 

The air was warm, surrounding them in a blanket of comfort. The nice thing about the summer nights was the slight breeze that took the small bite out of the heat and made it nice to walk in. They walked side by side, and Tobin didn't really know what to do with her hands, she normally had something to hold onto, her longboard or her helmet, but for the first time in a week, she was without it. Still, she was happy to be heading to the bar, shocked Christen wanted to go with her, though if she had to judge, she was doing pretty well on this date. 

The last time she tried going out with a girl, it turned into a disaster. They went to an Italian place Tobin had never been to, but the girl swore by. It was good food after Tobin took forever trying to figure out what to get because the menu was in Italian, and as much as she loved the food, the language was a mystery. Plus, she was underdressed, in khaki joggers and a button-up and her jean jacket. When she heard the word Italian she thought of the place in the outskirts of the city, somewhere she'd been that was as casual as going to Olive Garden, so she dressed up a little, but not the nice pants, nice shoes style she should have been in. The girl was nice, sweet, really, but they just didn't click. There's only so much Tobin can take when it comes to someone talking about people in their job, the job she could listen to, but the gossip was not something she liked. 

This date, the one that was going on now, she could be on it all night. Christen was so amazing, she talked but never failed to ask for Tobin's thoughts, though she didn't have a lot when it came to her job. But she asked about her life, about the things her fan page didn't cover, and they got into a roll when it came to traveling and the places Christen had been. That was another great thing, she was so well-traveled, but she wasn't a jerk about it. Sometimes people can be pretentious about having flown around the world, but not this girl, she was modest, always downplaying the things she saw and the experiences she had. And she was smart, but subdued in a way that made you want her to talk more. You could tell she knew a lot, had a lot of information stored in that beautiful head, but didn't want to go full nerd and full detail about everything, even though Tobin reassured her several times that she wanted to know all the facts. 

Tobin found herself thinking about the future as they got into the bar, and Christen ordered an IPA before they sat at a small table away from the crowd surrounding the stage where a guy was playing guitar and singing through some classics. So far, the sweet historian had all the markings of a dream girl, all Tobin had to do was check in on one thing. She had to know Christen didn't mind the way she needed to surf the streets, the days she spent with her friends at the park cruising, and finding new tricks. That was the one thing that could set this up for failure. Christen was amazing, and Tobin could see herself giving up a lot of things for her, maybe even stepping back from riding so much, but she didn't want to do that. 

Her ex, she had cut down on her time on the roads, and it made her sad. There was no other word for how she felt, she was just sad. Longboarding made her happy, it was one of the reasons she smiled, and while in her mind she knew she could give it up if she had to, she didn't want to. But Tobin was a compromiser, and she was willing to give up pieces of herself if a girl was worth it, but she didn't want to, hopefully, Christen didn't require it.

"So, I told some of my friends at the museum that I was going on a date with a longboarder, they were shocked." Christen set her tall glass of amber beer down on the table. 

Tobin adjusted in her seat, nervous to ask, but needing to know the answer, "Why's that?"

"It's not what I usually go for," she admitted freely, making Tobin's heart speed up with anxiety. "I'm usually stuck in a library or a museum, and people who live in libraries and museums are the ones that ask me out."

Sipping her logger, Tobin hoped this wasn't a bad thing. "Well, I don't live in those places, but I do go sometimes. I mean, longboarding is kind of my main thing, but I do like other stuff."

"Oh, I know, I read your entire fan page," she chuckled, then sipped her beer. "But, my friends did say if I was going to go for a boarder, longboard was the way to go."

This made her heart skip, "Oh yeah?"

Christen nodded slowly, seeing the happy look on her face. "Apparently, you're more laid back than skaters, and you won't drag me to the beach every day like a surfer or a mountain like a snowboarder, so longboarder was the clear choice."

"I mean, they weren't wrong," she cracked up, knowing her kind had a more easy-going nature than regular skateboarders. "You don't like the beach or the mountains?"

"I do," she clarified. "I just don't want to spend all my time there. I like reading and sitting in the park with the sun on me. I guess when it comes to relationships and hobbies, I like being together, even if we are doing totally different things." Just as she finished talking, her eyes got wide. "Not that we are in a relationship, or that I'm thinking about that on our first date," she hid her face in her palms, letting out a long groan. "Oh, god, I'm sorry."

Tobin chuckled, reaching across the table and gently wrapping her fingers around her wrist and pulling her hands away, "It's cool, seriously, it's really good to know." She waited for Christen to look up with flush cheeks and a nervous smile. "The thing is, boarding is super important to me, so it's good to know if this does, you know, work out, in that way, you'd be okay with me being out."

Breathing a little easier, she nodded, "I figured if you work in a board shop, make longboards, and compete that it would be really important to you." 

"Yeah, it is," she grinned, her nerves settling. "I just think it's complete freedom, ya know. Jump on a board, and if you have a clear path, you can just fly and not think about anything."

"Sounds really nice," her voice was light and airy like she was dreaming of what Tobin was saying. "You'll have to teach me how to ride one day."

"Heck yeah," Tobin popped up excitedly, "Anytime, I can tell you're a cruiser, maybe even a surfer. I can build you the perfect surfer."

Christen chuckled lightly, "Okay, you're going to have to explain all the terms to me. I read your bio, and you ride a downhill board, but also something about drops and free cuts, or something."

"Almost," Tobin smiled, her cheeks already hurting from how much she had been doing that all night. "So, I ride a double-drop directional downhiller for competition, but I usually cruise with on my free-rider, which is a drop-through symmetrical cutaway." She saw the confused look in the girl's bright green eyes. "That's a lot, I know."

"No, I mean, yes, but I want to know." Christen sat up with her elbows on the table. "But maybe we should start at the beginning with what's a longboard because I know what a skateboard is, but yours is totally different, right? I tried to understand some of it, but I confused myself."

Tobin sat up straight, "You want the full tutorial? Because I can go full technical."

"Oh yes," she replied with a big smile, "It might take another beer, but I am locked on and ready to learn."

She had never been so excited to talk to a beginner in her life. Tobin spent so much time going through the nitty-gritty of the sport, how and why you choose boards, down to the length of the screws used to attach trucks to the deck, but now she was going to start from the beginning, really teach someone the basics of it all. On top of that, Christen seemed eager to learn. Whether or not it was from an interest in the sport or interest in Tobin, it didn't matter, as long as she kept looking at Tobin with those big green eyes. 

Tobin started with the basic concept of the board being longer and wider than a traditional skateboard and then dug into some details. They ordered a second bear, and Christen asked questions like she was going to give a report on the topic, and of course, Tobin was happy to actively give answers. By the time the second beer was done, and Christen informed her that she couldn't have another because she needed to drive home, Tobin was into wheelbases and decided it was a good place to stop for now. She was more than willing to pick up the topic if she was lucky enough to score a second date. 

They left the bar after Christen beat Tobin to the card reader to pay their small tab, and they headed down the street towards the restaurant to pick up Tobin's board. 

"Can I give you a ride home?" Christen asked as the skater came out the door with her gear. 

Tobin looked down at her stuff, then shrugged, "As long as you don't mind my wheels in your car."

"I think it'll be fine," she giggled. 

On a normal night, this would be the time when Tobin was getting ready to go out with her friends, it was still kind of early by her standards, and she wanted to find an excuse to prolong the night. They got in Christen's immaculately clean Honda Civic and set out towards Tobin's apartment. The ride was filled with Christen filling her in on what things she had seen around the city and all the places she still needed to go, Tobin making a promise to take her on her own personal tour of the city she called home. 

Before long, they were parked and walking up the path to the building, the nervousness now showing up as they got closer to the moment that could end their night together. Tobin was listening to Christen talk about her work schedule, but in her head, she was trying to think of a smooth way to ask if she wanted to come up to her place and trying to remember if she swept the taco crumbs from the counter. 

They reached the entry door, and without any style, Tobin blurted out, "You wanna come up, for a drink, or coffee, or something?"

Hesitantly, Christen laced her fingers together, "I do, really, but I don't think I should."

"Oh," her face fell. "Okay."

"It's not because I don't want to, because I do," she hurried to clarify. "This night has been absolutely amazing, like one of the best I've had in a very long time. I just think if I go up to your place and have another drink, we might move too fast, and I don't want to rush this." She gestured between them. "Because I think… I hope this is something."

"It's definitely something," she rushed to say. With a shy smile, she took a breath. "I get it, and I don't wanna move too fast, either."

"But I want to see you again, really soon."

"Like in ten minutes, cause I can just walk in and wait around, then come back out and meet you."

Christen laughed lightly at the silly joke, reaching out to grab Tobin's hands, "How about Sunday? What are you doing?"

"Skating," she said without a thought. "But, I'm down to hang out anytime." She squeezed the warm hand in hers, feeling like she could hold on forever.

"How about brunch? I know a nice spot in the city," she looked hopeful. 

Tobin nodded, "Yes, just tell me where and what time." It was at that moment she decided to take a chance, one she was hoping wouldn't backfire. With all the hope she had, she asked, "Is it okay if I kiss you, goodnight?"

It was a nod and a smile that was all Tobin needed before she leaned in, her eyes closing. She was happy for the mint she popped in her mouth as they left the bar and happy, Emily slipped it into the pocket of her jeans when she picked them out. The second their lips touched, it was like a movie, like a song, like all the things artists use to describe what it feels like to be happy. A rush went through her, the only thing she had to compare it to was the feeling she had the first time she went downhill at 60mph. She wanted it to last as long as a ride, but it was over in a few seconds, and she could feel her heart pumping the way it did at the end of a hill. 

"Wow," she whispered without thinking, then her eyes snapped open, hoping that wasn't strange to say. 

But Christen was smiling ear to ear, and she confirmed her excitement with a "Wow" of her own. 

It took all the strength Tobin had to take a step back; her body wanted to go forward, kiss her again, maybe find a way to convince her to come up to the apartment, but she knew that was the wrong thing to do. Christen was showing all the signs of feeling the exact way she did, not to mention she practically outright said she didn't want the night to end, even though it was the smarter choice. For once, Tobin needed to be smart, so she fished her key's from her pocket and hiked her board under her arm. 

"Well, I guess this is goodnight," she grinned. 

"Unfortunately," Christen confirmed her sadness of ending their time together. "But I will see you on Sunday."

"And you'll text me later?" She questioned with a hopeful look. 

"Of course," Christen chuckled. "Thank you for an amazing night."

"Thank you," she wanted to add that she was thankful that a girl like her even showed up for this date, that she was thankful that Christen was amazing and extremely grateful she felt the same way, but she left it was a simple thank you, then a goodnight, and entered into the building. 

Walking up the two floors, Tobin got in her place, hung her board up on the wall, and gently unlaced her shoes, that she now considered her lucky shoes, then walked into her kitchen. There were taco crumbs on the granite countertops, which she shook her head out, sweeping them in her hand and tossing them in the garbage. She grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open before taking her phone out of her pocket and seeing she had a text from her friends.

 **Kelley:** Well? You blow it, or what?

 **Emily:** Don't listen to Kelley, you got this? *thumbs up*

 **Lindsay:** You still owe me tacos.

 **Diggy:** Dude, bro, homie, that chick was a freaking 10!! How'd you manage that?

Tobin responded, letting her know that the date went really well, and much to everyone's surprise, she didn't bite it, and Christen wanted to go out again. Then she texted Diggy, letting the funny waiter know that Christen wasn't a 10, she was a freaking 100! Then she settled on her couch, clicking on some show she wasn't really paying attention to. 

She was halfway through a meme war in the group chat when a new text appeared on her screen. 

**Christen:** I had such an amazing night with you. I can't wait to see you again.

Tobin shot up from her seat, jumping the air. Christen texted her within twenty minutes of leaving, which meant she probably was barely out of her car before she decided to send the message. This was beyond good news. She quickly texted back. 

**Tobin:** Sunday can’t come fast enough.


	3. Chapter 3

One of the great things about working in a board shop, the owner being one of your good friends, it was easy to get days off. Tobin didn't really need to work, she just loved it, and the righteous skate bum owner was always willing to adjust the schedule no matter what. Normally, Tobin was asking for time off for practice or a competition, but this Sunday was different. There was no stopping her, even if getting the morning off was impossible, she had been talking about Sunday morning since Friday night, and it was finally here.

It's weird the things you find yourself dreaming about. For two nights in a row, Tobin had been dreaming about the girl that she met be happenstance, or fate, or destiny, whatever it was. The truth was, everything had to line up perfectly for them to meet. The sun had to be out, she had to have adjusted her board, she had to agree to race in the park, and of course that pebble, the one that made her crash, it had to be there. Tobin had half a mind to go back to the park and pick up that pebble after all, that tiny little thing was part of the reason she met the girl she couldn't stop thinking about.

Sure, she had only spent a few hours with Christen, and maybe it was a little too soon to say they were the best hours of her life, but it wasn't too soon to be thinking about it. Tobin fell asleep, two nights in a row, dreaming of the way Christen smiled, the way she laughed, the green in her eyes, and the way it reflected the lights in the room. She spent most of her nights wondering if it was too late to text her. All her mornings were spent trying to figure out how early was too early to text her good morning. Her stomach was filled with flapping birds; her heart pounding like she was about to drop-in on the biggest hill in Oregon on a new board. There was no denying how she felt; it was impossible to hide it from herself, and more impossible to hide it from her friends.

The second she got to work, they crowded her, needing details. Tobin, of course, spilled it all, the dinner, the bar after, the wanting to spend more time together but taking it slow, and of course, the kiss. No details, just the fact that they kissed, and it was amazing and perfect. She didn't add in that she had been dreaming about that kiss, counting every single second until she could do it again. Her friends tried to pry further and figure out details about the girl dragging their fearless and mostly level headed leader into the clouds. Most of the questions Tobin didn't have an answer, things she hadn't asked Christen herself, and of course, her friends demanded they be able to meet this woman, and soon. Tobin told them it would happen when it happened, but the truth was she wanted Christen for herself, for now.

Any girl that dated any girl in the group had to pass the group test. When they didn't, when some girl that was totally wrong for one of the members somehow got their hands on one of them, the group did the right thing, standing by their friend, until they realized it on their own. There was no point in prying into other people's relationships. Trying to pull people apart only pushed them together, so they all agreed to be cool with everyone's girlfriends, even if they weren't cool. Eventually, they would figure it out. Like Lindsay and her ex, that was a disaster that took six months to figure it out, but the group stood up and stood behind their best friend. Besides, you knew when the gang liked the person you brought around, they were not afraid to show enthusiasm towards girlfriends. 

Tobin hopped they would be dragging Christen around one day, loud and crazy, then adding her to the group chat until she was driven certifiably insane. She could tell by the way she felt, and by how excited the group was about just hearing about Christen, it was pretty clear she would pass the test.

Tobin woke up earlier than normal on Sunday, her mind swimming with the idea of seeing Christen again. She texted the only person who was off on Sunday, and within the hour, she was at the top of a hill on the outskirts of the city with the youngest member of the group. They skated for a few hours before needing rest and sat on the boards at the bottom of the hill after Tobin's millionth decent. The sun was baking their skin; the only thing Tobin hated about skating was needing to wear pants and a long shirt, but it was better if you fell, you didn't skin your entire body. Still, it meant hot breaks when you weren't flying downhill, creating your own breeze.

"Come on, Toby, I'm totally ready," Emily pleaded, her lips poking out, and her hands clasped together as she begged her Obi-Wan. "I promise I can do this."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Tobin replied, draining the last of her water bottle.

Emily spent most of the morning trying to convince the older skater to let her try going down the entire hill, not just starting from the middle. Tobin was dug in on this point, insisting the anxious boarder get more time on the downhill boards before attempting something steep, especially on a hill like the one they were currently sitting at the bottom of.

"Why don't you trust me?" The blonde asked, her arms crossed.

"I do," now Tobin felt more like a mom and less like a cool older sister. She knew she couldn't hold the skater back, even if it was for her protection. Emily was eventually going to ride down some crazy steep hill, and it was better if Tobin was around when she did it. "Tell you what, kid, how about you use my old board a few times on the hill downtown. Get a feel, then we can start building your own downhiller. After that, we can go nuts... Together."

Emily jumped up, tossing her arms around Tobin's neck, "Thank you, I promise I won't go without you."

"I don't ever want anything to happen to you," Tobin said into the hug.

Pulling away with a look of joy and slight concern, Emily nodded, "I know, but you gotta let me fly."

"All right, baby bird," she chuckled, giving the kid a quick punch in the shoulder. "Tomorrow after work, we'll go flying." She pulled out her phone and checked the time. "For now, I gotta go meet Christen."

"Ooo, Christen, you're girlfriend," she teased, sounding just her age.

Tobin popped her penny-board from her backpack, "Not yet." She smiled, buckling her helmet, "Take care of my board. I'll catch you later today."

Emily watched as she kicked off down the street, she couldn't help but yell after her, "Have fun with your girlfriend!"

She had thirty minutes to go two miles. Luckily it was a lot of shallow hills, unlucky she was on a penny- board and not her full downhill or freerider, so it was going to be a ride of intense concentration. She moved through the light Sunday traffic, into the outskirts of the city, and down the street that google maps told her to go. She had never been to the restaurant before and wasn't sure what to expect, but she stopped just outside a place tucked between different shops, with a brick exterior and a light-colored awning hanging over a large glass window.

Tucking her board into her backpack and strapping her helmet to the top hook, Tobin ran her fingers through her messy hair, then cursed herself for heading to brunch after skating for hours, finally walking into the small spot and greeting the host.

"Hey, I am looking for, um..," she looked around the well lite space and spotted the girl she was there to meet, looking down at her phone. "Never mind, I see her."

She gave a quick thanks to the host and started to push through the tables. Christen was dressed casually in grey leggings, black running shoes and a black t-shirt. Her hair was tied in a low pony, flipped over one shoulder, still wild even though she had tamed it somewhat. Tobin had to stop herself from imagining what it would be like to wake up to the mess of hair and the bright smile that was now flashing in her direction.

Knowing she looked a little messy and a lot awkward in her army green tapered jeans and black long sleeve button-up over her white t-shirt, she quickly set her bag down and took the overshirt, trying to look a little less like she was just working on a construction site.

"Hey," she said, a little out a breath, Christen having the ability to make her a little breathless. "Sorry I'm late again."

"Don't worry about it," she replied sweetly, watching Tobin as she finally sat down. "Did you skate here?"

Tobin looked down at her bag, "Yeah, I took my penny. Figured it would be easier to drag into a brunch place than the full board."

"What's a penny?" She asked with a little laugh.

The experienced longboarder had to remember that this girl was just starting her journey into the sport, she needed to explain everything, and that made her both excited and a little nervous. 

"It's a miniature board," she reached down and opened her bag, pulling the lime green board with bright orange wheels out of her bag for a quick second. "I use it when I know I need to go ina place like a store or something, but I don't wanna hook my board on my back."

Christen studied the board for a second, "So it's a skateboard?"

"No way," Tobin chuckled, turning the board over to show the hardware, "Still has wheels and trucks like a longboard, reverse kingpins, and lighter bushings, so it rides like a longboard."

"I think I understand," she giggled, watching as Tobin set the board back in her black pack. "If I wanted to learn how to ride, should I start on the little one?"

"No way," she gave a sweet smile. "Those are harder to ride than a traditional board. It has less surface area, so it's harder to control. When you're ready to ride, I'll build you something smooth."

The statement made Christen grin proudly, "Custom board and lessons by a professional, my entry into longboarding is going to make a lot of people jealous."

"Heck, it's making me jealous," Tobin chuckled.

The waitress came, and Tobin ordered orange juice as they were handed the menu, and Christen ordered an iced latte. They flipped through the menus quietly, Tobin having the feeling like she was getting the same treatment that she gave Christen at the noddle place. If she suggests this spot, more than likely, she had been here before and knew what she wanted, but was polite enough to let Tobin browse.

Something inside her wanted to be an adult about brunch, maybe order avocado toast or something hipster and cool, but then she decided against it. Why be someone she's not? She did like avocado toast, but she wasn't in the mood for it, so when the waitress made her way back, Tobin ordered a stack of blueberry pancakes with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. Christen smiled as she ordered, then asked for a strawberry cold oatmeal bowl with sourdough bread on the side.

"I feel like a little kid," Tobin admitted after the waitress left.

Christen took a sip of her coffee, "Why?"

"Blueberry pancakes and orange juice, compared to oatmeal and an iced latte."

Chuckling to herself, she shook her head, "Trust me, if I could, I would order something along those lines, but I try not to eat too many sweets in the mornings. But, I have an obsession with coffee, and I need the caffeine."

"I can't have coffee more than once a day," Tobin confirmed, chewing on the paper straw in her drink. "I get all antsy and hyper."

"I think my addiction has given me some kind of super immunity to caffeine," she laughed at herself. "I have to have like three cups a day, or I am a monster by the end."

Tobin sat back in her chair with a half-grin, "I can't picture you being a monster."

"Drag me away from coffee, and you'll see it," she smirked. "What do you do in the mornings?"

Thinking for a second, having never really thought of what her mornings really look like, she answered, "I get up, chill for a bit, sometimes have a cup of coffee, if it's cold, then shower and work."

"How is that possible," Christen smiled brightly. "I have to have coffee, do yoga, get myself all ready before I can go to work. I need at least two hours in the morning."

"Not me," she replied proudly. "Maybe thirty minutes, forty-five in the winter, and I'm out the door."

"You amaze me," she laughed at the grin on Tobin's face. "What time do you get into work?"

Thinking, she took a quick sip of her drink, "We open at eight, so I usually get there around seven in the winter. Summer, I get there around six. We need the extra hour to pack the morning shipments."

"So, you guys ship your stuff?"

"Yeah, we gotta," she sat up, surprisingly excited to talk deeper about work and order shipments. "A lot of our stuff is custom, so we have to ship it. Tony, he's the surf guy, he just made this killer shortboard, took him a month, but it is premo. We are shipping it to Hawaii on Friday."

Christen scooted forward, "Wait, their longboards and shortboards. I am so confused."

"Oh, no," Tobin laughed, realizing the mistake. "The board shop isn't just longboards, it all boards for all sports. Snowboards, wakeboards, surfboards, longboards, skateboards, street luge, skis, both snow and water, basically anything that was traditionally made of wood, or still is made of wood, that you use in a sport, the board shop makes, packs and ships. I’m like the _on-wheels specialist,_ so longboards, skateboards and luge. Tony does surfboards, which makes up a lot of business, and Lindsay is a jack of all trades, master of some. Meghan, the owner, she can tell you about anything, she's like an encyclopedia of sports boards."

Her jaw slightly ajar, Christen shook her head, "I didn't know that. I thought you just did longboards. Do you ship your custom boards from the shop?"

"Sort of," it had been a while since she really thought about her own process. "I have a link on the store's page, and they can go to my site and order everything. A customer can either build a board on their own, or they can schedule a time to talk to me online, and I can help them through the process. Getting a raw deck is pretty easy most of the time. With a little info, I can pretty much build a board straight away; it's the art that takes a while. Sometimes it can take months for one, belly designs and custom grip tape, then it all depends on if you want a decal or hand-painted."

The seemingly awestruck woman shook her head once again, "You have to tell me everything. I'm fascinated by all of this."

Just as Tobin agreed, their food was placed in front of them. They took a second to take first bites, Tobin doing a little happy dance at the taste of blueberries and sticky syrup, and Christen giggling at her. After they had decided they were extremely happy with their food, Christen asked again for Tobin to explain her business.

The only person she really went through the steps with was Meghan whenever she started the custom board company. No one really asked too many questions about how she got her work down, they just enjoyed the finished product, but it was nice to go through it with someone.

The first step, she explained, was figuring out what you wanted. What kind of deck, trucks, bushing, bearings, wheels, and hardware. Most of the time, Tobin figured that out for the beginners, it was easier to ask about what they wanted to do with their board, how they wanted to ride, and a few personal facts, like their weight, which went into the bushing durometer, and where they lived, type of riding surface which made her choice of wheels.

Next, they chose a design for the bottom. Some wanted simple words or a character from a show or video game; it was kind of like selecting a tattoo, most people said wild things, and Tobin had to reel them into something doable. Sometimes she got it in one shot, and sometimes she had to re-design what felt like a million times before the client was happy.

Then, you decided on decal or hand-painted. Decal meant she took the design to the print shop, and Kelley vacuum sealed a decal onto the board. Tobin would hand paint the design for a higher fee, of course. It took Kelley a few hours to mock up the design on the computer, print it out, and get it on the board. It took Tobin days, sometimes weeks, to complete a painting.

Then grip tape. Custom tape could be made, like the guy that wanted pizza slices with a dark blue background, Kelley printed that as well. If they just wanted solid colors, or something pre-made, all they had to do was choose the way it was applied. Some wanted fancy tape, and it took Tobin informing them that simple was usually better, so they actually had grip on the board.

Then the colors of the hardware and wheels, the type of bearings, and the board was done and ready to ship. Because Tobin got all her gear at a discount from the shop, she stamped the small shop logo in the top corner and her stamp on the bottom right as the artist. If it was a decal, Kelley put the print shop logo somewhere.

The building of the board was the most complicated part; the business side was easy. The shop got 10% of her sales, plus material, and if she used Kelley's print shop, she got 5% plus labor and materials. At the end of it, everyone involved made a little, and Tobin made a good amount. But that wasn't the reason she did it.

"I just love riding, and I think with a good board that someone designed themselves, put some work into, a new rider can fall in love too." She explained as she mopped up the remains syrup with the last of her pancakes. "Money is great, and all, and I know we all need it to survive, but I just want someone to get joy out of my work, you know. I like knowing someone is happy somewhere riding one of my boards."

"I understand that, completely," Christen smiled as she leaned back, having finished her meal. She picked up her drink, intent on drinking the last of the coffee. "So, what's the most expensive board you've ever built?"

"Oh man," Tobin chuckled, going back in her memory banks. "42in. double-drop, custom everything. The most intricate design I had ever done. The guy wanted a full map, but old school, with a ship and a compass. Then the tape was a crazy cool ocean scene with a sexton. It was the most work I have ever done. Hand-painted, hand-cut tape, I'm talking weeks of work into this. Altogether, with the high-end hardware, and wheels, it came out to be around $3500."

"Oh my god!" Christen gasped, then quickly caught her excitement. Looking around to make sure no one was reacting to her shock, she leaned towards the table. "I thought you were going to say something in the high hundreds."

Tobin laughed lightly, "No, a board starts around $400. The decks themselves are custom made. Then added in a design even something really simple, takes time, plus material. Most boards come out around $800 at a minimum."

"And you're offering to build me a board?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Well, yeah, I like you." Tobin shrugged simply, quickly drawing attention away from the confession by draining the last of her orange juice.

Christen relaxed, her eyes going wide, then a smile stretching across her face, "I like you too."

"Cool," Tobin said with a quick smile, trying to act as casual as possible. "You wanna get outta here?"

"Sure," she laughed at how simple the exchange was. "I was hoping you wanted to take a walk or something."

Tobin shot up out of the seat, "Yeah, the park is right there."

Tobin approached the front counter and paid their bill, then followed Christen outside and headed down the street and to the park.

The second they stepped out, the day felt stunningly perfect. It was the type of day that was a mixture of warm and cool that made you feel welcomed and safe, like a hot lunch or a warm hug. The sun was hiding just behind a cloud, peaking out, warming the world, but the wind was blowing softly against their skin. Though it was entirely possible that it was just a day like any other, Tobin was so ecstatic about sharing a simple walk in the park with Christen that it felt like the best of days. It felt like that feeling you get when you look up at the sun, and everything is white-hot, and your mind wants to explode, but you have to look away quickly, or your retinas would burn. Christen was that kind of intense, retina melting intense, and Tobin was willing to stare at her all day, consequences and eyesight be damned. 

"I love the energy of the park," Christen said simply, her eyes looking up at the trees as they passed. "Everyone is always so happy. Especially in the summer. It's hard to find a sad person in the park during the summer."

Tobin gave a slight smile, "I know what you mean. I always feel better when I'm outdoors."

"Do you like hiking?"

There was an answer to this question, and Tobin knew it. Her truth was simple, but _the_ truth wasn't simple. In her old thought process, the one that kept her in her old apartment doing whatever indoor activities her ex wanted her to do, she would search for the answer, anything to not disturb the delicate balance of what was becoming a perfect second date, but Christen was different, Tobin was different. She could hope her answer matched what Christen was looking for, but the perfect answer was her truth. She wasn't going to start another relationship off with grey truths to please.

"Not really," she shrugged. "I'll go if it's a group thing, but it'll never be my suggestion." She paused for a second, her hands going into her pockets nervously. "Do you like hiking?"

"Sometimes," she answered with a smile, "Depends on the trail and depends on the group. It can be fun, I think mostly I like the end when you get food because you completed the hike, and I like trail mix."

Tobin chuckled, relieved, and trying not to show it, "I can get you trial mix, and you don't even have to hike."

She spun around and started to walk backward, "You spoil me," she smirked, then spun back around.

"I could," she said, half flirting, have incredibly sincere on her offer to spoil the girl almost skipping beside her.

Maybe it was too soon to be having those thoughts, but she didn't mind. She would spoil Christen if that's what she wanted. Tobin could and would take care of her, but she had a suspicion Christen took care of herself. This amazing girl who always seemed to know the right thing to say, she was confident and smart and made you want to feel that way too. Christen seemed to have a fire, though subdued under her calm exterior, but there, and Tobin could see it, so while the young X-kid could take care of the even mannered restoration specialist, she didn't have to, and for some reason, that made the idea that much better.

"Ah, look at that dog," Christen pointed at a yellow lab running towards a little kid.

"You like dogs?" Tobin asked, stopping beside her to watch the pup almost knock over the small child.

Christen smiled at the scene, "Yeah, I love dogs. I wish I could have one, but my schedule is so insane, I would feel bad leaving it home all day."

"Me too," she replied as they started walking down the path. "So, you like dogs, you aren't much of a hiker, but you like hanging out with friends. I think we are getting somewhere. There are just a few more questions I need to know the answer to."

"Okay," she chuckled sweetly while raising an eyebrow.

Tobin tried to look serious, struggling to hold back a smile, "What's your favorite movie?"

Thinking for a second, matching the skater's serious look, she smiled with her response, "10 Things I Hate About You."

"Good choice," the excitement rose up. "Mine is Bring It On."

"Really, cheerleading?" she questioned with a laugh. "I wouldn't peg the skater for a cheerleading movie fan."

"First, it's not just about cheerleading, it's about acceptance," she said as seriously as she could. "Plus, it's funny, and I like to watch it when I'm sad because it always makes me laugh. And I had a serious crush on Eliza Dushku, ever since she was Faith in Buffy."

Laughing out loud, Christen turned her head, "So that's the type of girl you like, vampire slayer, gymnast cheerleader, badass?"

"Not really," she shrugged. "I don't have a specific type, as long as they are cool."

Humming along, Christen slow nodded, "I agree."

"So, what about music?" Tobin said, quickly changing the subject.

"I think I am about to lose some cool points," she hid her face in her palms for a second, then looked up. "I don't really listen to music that much."

"How's that possible?" excitedly, she jumped and spun around, walking backward, smiling at how red Christen's cheeks had turned. "Music is everywhere, all the time."

"I know," she sighed. "If I'm at work, I listen to podcasts. I listen to music sometimes when I drive home, but most of the time, I finish up a podcast or an audiobook. At home, I watch TV or read. I don't really have a routine that fits music."

Still walking backward and thoroughly amazed at the answer, Tobin shook her head and gave a quick grin, "I will forgive your lack of music on one condition."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"You let me introduce you to some bands." Her eyes went big and hopeful, a smile creeping on her face as she noticed Christen start to smile.

"Okay, deal."

"There's a bitchin' record store in the city," she turned to walk forward. "We can go there one day, pick up some good stuff. I have a record player, so you'll have to come over, but it'll be totally worth it, most bands need to be heard on vinyl."

Christen stopped in her tracks, waiting as Tobin turned with a worried look on her face. "You're kind of amazing."

"Why?" she asked, her eyebrows lowering.

"Everything you do is so spontaneous, it's remarkable," she stepped forward, minimizing the gap between them. "Everything in my life is so scheduled. My ex, he worked in the museum too, and everything we did was synced in a Google Calendar. I've never really been spontaneous before. I'm not even sure I know how."

Taking a chance, Tobin reached out and took her hand, "I can teach you."

She watched as the corner of Christen's bottom lip went in her mouth, her teeth sinking in just a bit. Her eyes seemed so bright, like the idea of Tobin helping her made her entire day brighter. She had already taken the chance to hold her hand, and Christen wasn't pulling away, so what was one more chance. With all the courage she had, Tobin leaned forward, slow enough to give the other woman a chance to pull away but fast enough that they didn't psych themselves out.

As if the world was working all its magic for them at that moment, it stopped spinning for the three seconds it took for the lips to touch. Then again, it spun as Tobin reached her free hand up to cup Christen's cheek and deepen the kiss. It was innocent and sweet and PG enough to do in the park, but it served the purpose of bringing Tobin to the edge of happiness, and stick one foot off the cliff, keeping her balance, daring the universe to take away the amazing feeling she had. Kissing Christen was better than any feeling in the world, and somehow Tobin knew she would do anything to earn the privilege of doing that again.

Reluctantly pulling away, Tobin smiled, her eyes fluttering open at the same time Christen's did. Just as before, with their first kiss, a single word ran through her mind, wow. She held tight to the warm hand in hers, then turned and started walking, pulling the still awestruck girl with her.

There was something about the park in the summer, about the air, about the feeling of it all. The park had a spirit, and in the summer, it was happy, and all of that was mixing with Tobin's overwhelming feeling of content and making her smile so much her cheeks started to hurt. They walked for a while longer, talking through the little things, learning about each other with each step. The whole thing felt surreal like someone had painted a scene of two happy young people finding their way to each other. It was strange in the way that it didn't make her feel like she did when she spoke to other girls, even her ex, like at any moment it could fall apart like it was so fragile that a crack in the road could cause the wheels to break off and roll away. With Christen, it felt steady, and even though it was scary, it was calming.

It had to have been over an hour, and they had made their way to the end of the small park and back up the path where they started, and still, Tobin wished she could take another walk, talk, listen more, learn everything that day, that moment so she could tell Christen that this was the most perfect date in the whole world. But her phone was buzzing in her pocket, the same way it had been fifteen minutes ago, and she knew what it meant. Twenty-minuets ago, Kelley had called and asked if she was ready to skate, and even though Tobin would have preferred to stay in the park, Christen insisted she go and practice.

"I can blow it off, really," Tobin grinned.

Shaking her head, a sweet smile on her face, Christen denied her request, "I'm not going to be the reason you lose control of your board and roll downhill."

Tobin had explained why she was practicing so much while they were walking. She had a competition coming up and needed to make adjustments and get used to her new longboard, and only practicing would give her that chance. If this was any other day, she would have worked a few hours, then hit the hills until the sun finally set, but today was the best second date ever, and she wasn't even thinking about boarding, or hills, or the pliability of her board.

"Fine," she huffed, having been trying to win the argument since she got the call and losing after informing Christen the consequences of not getting her board dialed in. "But I'll be sad because I would rather spend the day with you."

"We have plans for Friday," she replied, her grip tightening around Tobin's hand.

"Yeah," she sighed. "But Friday is like _Friday._ It’s so far away.”

The cute puppy dog look Tobin was currently sporting must have been working because the sweet girl responded, "How about we try to have lunch sometime during the week."

"Yeah?" her eyes got wide, "That'd be good."

"I'll figure out a day…"

A honk came from the parking lot. They both looked over to the beat-up grey truck with two people standing up in the bed making faces. Kelley was hanging out in the cab, telling both of them to come over.

"Should we go over?" Christen was cracking up at the crazy girls in the truck.

"No," Tobin said with wide-eyed conviction. "If that's okay," she turned to Christen, "I just want to keep you to myself for now. If you go over there, they'll get their hooks in, and I'll never get a second alone with you."

"Okay," she said with a laugh in her throat, her eyes fixated on Kelley turned around in the truck with her arms wrapped around herself, pretending to make out with someone.

Tobin caught her attention with a gentle hand squeeze, "I'll see you later."

"Yes, you will," she smiled.

Together, they leaned in for another kiss, this one short because her friends started to cheer, making an even bigger scene than before. Tobin was the one to pull away, her smile too big to keep the kiss going. She apologized for her crazy friends, then placed a gentle peck on Christen's cheek before finally turning around, promising to text later, and running towards the truck.

"What, she's not coming?" Emily asked as Tobin landed in the bed of the truck.

"No way," Tobin scoffed. "You guys are way too insane to be around her yet. I need her to really like me before I introduce you clowns."

Kelley stuck her head out the window, "Oh come on, Tobs, we'll be good, promise."

"Nope," she shook her head. "Let's motor."

Groaning, Kelley pulled her body back in the truck and honked a few times, waving at Christen with the rest of the group giving huge child-like waves before they drove off.

"So, how was it?" Lindsay asked after they were on the move.

Tobin smiled, reaching for the vape in the girl's hand, "Perfect. She's perfect." She took a short drag, letting the strawberry banana flavor fill her mouth before letting it out. "Seriously, she's amazing."

"What's she doing with you?" Lindsay kicked out her leg, hitting Tobin in the foot.

"Not sure," Tobin laughed, passing the vape around the truck bed. "I'm just going with it."

Emily slapped the back of her arm to Tobin's chest, "You gotta do more than that. The way you talk about her, a girl like that doesn't come around too often. Put in some work, or she'll move on to some other skate bum."

"Yeah. Me." Lindsay cheesed.

"Haha," Tobin kicked her high friend back. She looked over to Emily, "Aren't you a wise little enchilada. How do you know this?"

Emily stole the purple vape from Lindsay's hands, "Just do." She gave a big grin before taking a long rip and holding it in. She puffed out a cloud that quickly dissipated in the moving air. "If she's amazing, you gotta be amazing too."

"Yeah?" she leaned her head back on the truck cab.

Now she had to think of ways to be amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, got a little caught up in a lot of things.

**Tobin:** I’ll be on your side of town today. Lunch?

 **Christen:** Sounds wonderful.   
**Christen:** Is it okay to say I kind of miss you?

 **Tobin:** Of course! I kinda miss you too.   
**Tobin:** How’s 11?

 **Christen:** Good. And 11 is great.

 **Tobin:** SICK! I’ll meet you outside the museum.

 **Christen:** Can’t wait.

A few hours after the confirmation text, Tobin was in her car heading to the museum. It was strange to be driving; she would much rather have been on her board, but she had a meeting with important people, which meant she had to look presentable. Jeans and baggy t-shirts were not presentable, and since riding a longboard was dangerous in slacks and a button-up, she was forced to take her car. Besides, she was a long way from home, and it would take her three times as long to fight through the traffic of the city on her board.

She felt stuffy in her shirt with the cuffs buttoned and fitted pants. Her feet felt strange in oxfords. She missed her men’s medium flannels and joggers. She missed her vans. There was this pull inside to go home and change before meeting Christen, but then she thought about where she was going and who she was meeting. Christen had a fancy job with sophisticated coworkers, and there was a chance if she was meeting her outside her job that those people might be there too, and while Tobin didn’t care much about being a skate bum in front of fancy people, Emily’s words were echoing in her mind. 

Christen was amazing, and according to her young friend, Tobin had to be amazing too. She had to deserve a girl like Christen, and even though the quiet college-educated museum worker seemed to enjoy Tobin’s laid back style, it would still be nice to impress the people she worked with. So maybe the navy blue fitted button-down, with the steel grey pants and copper brown capped oxfords with matching belt, was the way to go for this particular adventure. Still, it didn’t make it feel less strange.

She pulled her white Lancer WRX STI into the employee parking space as instructed. For the first time, she wasn’t late, but true to her word, Christen was early and standing outside with a pretty brunette. Tobin pulled the hand brake and shut off the car, looking at herself in the rearview mirror and adjusting her black sunglasses before stepping out, swinging her keys on her finger as she approached the two women. 

“Hey,” she called out as she got a few steps away. 

Christen turned around, her eyes going wide as she saw Tobin coming towards her, “Wow, hi.” A wide smile filled her face. “Look at you.”

“Yeah,” Tobin sighed, looking down at her clothes for a second before giving a reluctant smile. “I had a business meeting, so…” she trailed off as they came together in a hug, and Tobin made the quick choice to give Christen a quick peck on the cheek. 

“You look really good,” she grinned, her hand going up to touch the low ponytail as Tobin gave a subdued thank you. “Do you want to meet my friend?”

“Of course,” she looked over to the girl waiting under the shade of the tall building. 

“This is Alex, we work together. She saved my life when I moved here, showed me all the good places to eat and hang out,” Christen directed Tobin over to her. “Alex, this is Tobin.”

“The longboarder,” the girl flashed a big white smile, perfect against her sparkling blue eyes. “I’ve heard _a lot_ about you.”

Tobin chuckled at the word a lot, the idea of Christen talking about her to friends giving her a fluttering feeling, “Good things, I hope.” She stuck her hand out and gave a firm shake, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” she gave Tobin a once over with her eyes. “Though I have to admit I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Well,” she sighed good-naturedly. “Normally, I’m more relaxed. The next time we meet, I’ll probably be in ripped jeans with a helmet on my head.”

Alex laughed, looking pleased by Tobin’s easy-going nature, “I look forward to meeting that version of you.”

“Same,” she smiled. 

Christen placed her hand on the small of Tobin’s back, “We should get going if we’re going to be able to actually eat.” She smiled as Tobin agreed. “I’ll see you in a bit, Lex.”

“Have fun,” she said in a sing-song tone. 

Tobin caught it, though they didn’t think she did because she was partially turned around, she caught the way Alex mouthed ‘damn’ then her jaw dropped, and Christen gave a wide-eyes mouthing the words ‘I know’ Followed by a smile. Maybe the nice clothes were a hit after all. 

They decided on a place just down the street, thinking driving through traffic might be cutting in close on the way back. Christen gave Tobin a pass to put in her car windshield so museum security wouldn’t get upset. 

“I didn’t know you had a car,” she said as Tobin closed the door, pushing the fob to lock it. “It’s really nice.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tobin shrugged, not really thinking about the vehicle. “Do you like cars?”

“Not really, but this one is nice.”

“Thanks,” she said, pushing her wallet into her back pocket, “I try to take care of it.”

It was a good car, something she bought herself as a present a year ago. It was all white with blacked out tinted windows and black rims. She wasn’t much of a car person, but she did like going fast, and after a few modifications, the WRX was fast. 

They started down the street, a hot day with little shade from the sun; Tobin wished she was in shorts and a t-shirt, even though Christen did look at her like she wanted to devour her, which was nice. Christen looked good in her work clothes, a red button-down tucked neatly in high-waist button fly light wash jeans. She was lucky enough to get to wear sneakers, low-top classic Converse. Her hair was tied back, and Tobin was thinking about how much she liked the half up, half down thing she did, you could see how wild and crazy her curls were, but also still got a good peek at her neck, which was long and looked so smooth to the touch Tobin probably would have reached out and touched if not for Christen interrupting her thoughts.

“Huh?” she asked, guilty of not paying attention. 

Christen laughed, “I asked what kind of meeting you had.”

“Oh,” she shook her head, trying to jiggle out the thoughts of kissing Christen. “I was talking with an accountant with Kelley and my friend Dino Dan.”

“I’m sorry,” Christen chuckled, “Dino Dan?”

“Yeah, he’s my board guy,” she told her. “He makes most of the longboard decks I use.”

Christen nodded, her eyebrows knitting together, “But why is his name Dino Dan?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied simply. “I met him as Dino Dan, and that’s what I call him.” Laughing lightly, they turned the crossed the street, and Tobin crossed behind her, so she was walking on the outside closes to the street. “I guess, except today, he was William Daniels.”

“What was the meeting about? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Tobin smirked, “You can ask me anything.” They got to the restaurant, Tobin opening the door and waiting for Christen to enter. They stood in the short line, waiting to order. “Kelley, Dan, and I are thinking about going into business together. As I said, he makes almost all my decks, and Kelley prints everything I don’t hand paint. The three of us practically work together already, so we figured why not make a custom shop all our own. Dan knows a guy who is trying out some new style trucks and wheels, and he’s been experimenting with boards. Who knows, maybe we can make the next style board, be pioneers, and all that stuff. I don’t know; it might be dumb.”

“No, it’s not dumb at all,” Christen said quickly, sounding excited by the idea. “All companies had to start somewhere, experimenting until they found something great. Why can’t you do it too?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” her chest inflated a bit, somehow the words coming from Christen making her more confident in the idea. “Well, we all met up with the accountant to see if it’s a possibility. It looks like we’ll be good. If all of us put a little money in, it won’t break the bank. So next is someone who knows what the hell they are talking about when it comes to business, then, find a spot and get going.”

“You make starting a business sound so simple.”

Tobin shrugged, “Nike started out of the trunk of a Ford Pinto.”

They were at the front of the line, both of them ordering half sandwiches with side salads, then taking their plastic number and finding a seat close to the window. Tobin took a sip of her lemonade, noticing the green eyes still on her with a slight look of shock. 

“What’s up?” she laughed. 

“Nothing,” a slight smirk came to her lips, her eyes narrowing. “You just look really good.”

Laughing lightly, Tobin set her drink down, “You like this better than punk skater?”

“No,” she chuckled, her hand waving. “It’s just different than the other times I’ve seen you. But, I like the skater look too.” Her head fell, a blush coming to her cheeks, “I like you.”

Tobin tried to hold back, but there was no use, she was beaming, “I like you too.”

It was that simple. They liked each other. It was something Tobin kind of already knew, something that was understood after their first date. It was obvious by the way they wanted to spend time together that they made time to see each other in the middle of the week even though they had a date planned in just two days. It was nice to confirm that the feeling in the pit of her stomach, the tingling shooting up her spine, the way her entire body heated up, that was a mutual thing. Liking someone is tremendous, it was something akin to the feeling you get when you know you are about to eat your favorite food while watching your favorite show on your favorite day. It was the feeling you get in anticipation of hearing the greatest news you could get, and when the confirmation came in, it made that feeling maximize to the point of explosion. That’s how she felt, like exploding.

Christen started talking about her day, the project she was currently working on, the one she had been on for the last month, and Tobin was listening and thinking. She had a running train of thought, a runaway train, an idea zooming down the tracks, almost flying off the rails. She wanted to see more of this woman. More in the sense that she wanted to know things about her and not just verbal things. She wanted to know the feel of her skin, the smell of her hair, the taste of her mouth in a hot and heavy kiss. She wanted to know the way her lips felt when it stretched into a smile while Christen kissed her neck. She wanted to know how she sounded when she gasped when her breath was heavy and dripping. She wanted to know the weight of her when she sat tentatively down on her lap and when she gave in and let go. Sitting there, listening to her voice, and the way you could hear her smile in the way words floated in the air, Tobin made the choice that she wanted, no, needed to know her in every way she was allowed. 

They talked through lunch, leaving in enough time to walk the short five minutes back to the museum. They stopped at Tobin’s car, Christen regretfully looking at the building she worked, sighing at the thought of going inside. 

“Friday,” Christen exhaled, reminding both of them that they had plans to see each other again. “Why does it seem so far off?”

Tobin reached out and took her hand, “Because it is.” She squeezed gently, making those green eyes light up. “Do you want to come over to my place?” it was a loaded question, so she added in, “I can cook.”

“Yes,” her answer was quick, like it was her own idea, and she was only confirming it. “I’d love to come over.”

“Awesome,” she stood up straight. “Okay, I need to get out of these clothes.” She smirked as she watched Christen’s bottom lip going between her teeth, unconsciously, before she gave a smile. “I’ll text you when I get home.”

Naturally, like she had been doing it her entire life, Tobin leaned in for a kiss. This one was a little heavier than the last one they shared, Christen taking in a sharp breath as Tobin wrapped an arm around her waist. She pulled in just a little, just enough to let her know she was feeling it too. Their lips parted slightly, enough to let Tobin slip her tongue in just a little, which led to her pulling Christen in a little more, and suddenly the kiss was heavy, and Christen’s arms were resting on her shoulders. They had to stop, for now, in public. 

So Tobin pulled away, taking a step back, with an amused look, “So, Friday?”

“Friday,” she breathed out, her eyes blinking a few times before she finally settled. “I will see you Friday.”

They made the choice to say their goodbyes without an embrace. If they hugged, they would want to kiss again, and Tobin was one hundred percent sure she could not handle another kiss, not out here where someone could see. Friday, however, they would be in her apartment, alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this during the summer. I'm finishing it up and editing it now, but wanted to post the first chapter.


End file.
